Discs: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

The occasion of an E Street Band reunion combined with the debut of American Skin (41 Shots) -- a song about the NY police shooting of the unarmed Amadou Diallo -- probably had something to do with the filming of Bruce Springsteen's Madison Square Garden stand for an HBO special and this two-disc live hits set at a time when interest in the Boss has rarely been lower. If people continue spending big money to attend Springsteen's revival meetings, he's happy to play the guitar-wielding minister, preaching rock-and-roll salvation with put-on evangelical fervour. It sounds comical when the Jersey Devil starts chanting like a holy roller, but the MSG crowd weren't laughing, they were shouting hallelujah. Our man had to shush 'em, though, when he realized the jovial clapping in unison might spoil the dark, dramatic mood he was trying to set for American Skin with the cameras rolling. Wait for the DVD.